USA surfer Griffin Colapinto: I don’t want to be the boring guy
In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, the USA surfer reveals his secrets to success, why a 'rebel spirit' is important, and how to surf Paris 2024 Olympic venue Teahupo’o in Tahiti.
Surfing
Surfing isn’t short of unique characters, but Griffin Colapinto still manages to stand out among his peers.
Maybe it’s the 24-year-old’s skills. In 2017, he became the first Californian to win the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing champion, and in 2021 he won the US Open of Surfing.
Last season, he finished seventh in the 2022 World Surf League thanks to **victories in El Salvador and Portugal. **
And he has been rocking the 2023 season so far, topping the world rankings after his win at Surf Ranch Pro.
But then there is also his attitude. In the often highly media-trained world of elite athletes, Colapinto breaks the mould with his interviews, where he prefers to connect with fans and offer them something new.
“It's funny, I always see people getting interviewed and it's always so boring to me and I'm like, I don't want to be the boring guy!” Colapinto told Olympics.com.
“I don't want to do things like anyone else. If I have an opportunity to tell a story or something, I enjoy doing that and just show my true self.
“I want to be relatable to other people, and that's kind of how I look at it.” - Griffin Colapinto to Olympics.com
Griffin Colapinto’s secret to success
Colapinto’s boundary-pushing is also reflected on his surfboard.
He first shot to major prominence after landing a hail Mary aerial-reverse at the Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa in 2016.
Where does that daredevil attitude come from?
“I just focus on the preparation and working hard at training because that's where you get your confidence from,” he continued.
“If you’ve taken care of everything you can control and that you have improved wherever you can, you can leave everything else up to the ocean and just be in the moment. The rest will follow.” - Griffin Colapinto to Olympics.com
Colapinto has grown up in an age where competition surfing is the norm.
While his dream has always been to be the best in the world, he wants to do it by retaining the sport’s spirit.
_“_In the eighties and nineties surfers were more known as rebels,” he said.
“But now it's completely U-turned and it’s a serious sport. You’ve got to train really hard, and now that it’s in the Olympics, it's taken even more seriously.
“All my hopes and dreams have been to be world champion since I was a kid, and now I also really, really want to compete at the next Olympics." - Griffin Colapinto to Olympics.com
“It's cool to see the progression, but it's so cool to keep the roots and the rebel vibe. So I think I’ll keep a little bit of that and then roll that into some seriousness. It's a good combo.”
Brazil’s Italo Ferreira and USA’s Carissa Moore winning the men’s and women’s titles respectively at Tokyo 2020, and Colapinto wants to follow suit.
Despite winning the 2021 US Open, qualifying for the United States team is never a given thanks to its depth of surfing talent.
“I just got to make sure that I'm in the top two or top three in our country. I just got to do the same thing I did last year. I think that's what it's going to take.”
Griffin Colapinto’s tips for surfing Teahupo’o break
Surfing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will take place at the world-famous Teahupo’o break in Tahiti.
While an idyllic island in the south Pacific might sound like a sports venue out of a dream, the athletes know not to take its challenging waves lightly.
“It's a crazy wave,” Colapinto continued. “It's a really shallow reef. The coral heads that will cut you open with one tap.
“When you're in the water with the waves coming in, it looks like it's just going to be a huge closeout and there's going to be nowhere to go, but actually, the way the reef shapes, it makes a crazy back wedge barrel and you have to trust that it's going to do what you know it does and you just hope for the best.
“It would mean so much to be at the Olympics there, and I can't really think of a better place for an Olympic event, really. This is probably a once in a lifetime thing that we'll have a shot to compete for the Olympics in Teahupo’o, so I'm going to do everything I can to make it happen.”
Home surfing at Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028
Whether or not the 2017 World Qualifying Series champion makes it to Paris 2024, there is perhaps an even more exciting Olympic event on the horizon for him, with the next Games heading to his home state at Los Angeles 2028.
The venues are still to be decided, but there is a chance that the surfing event could take place on his home beach at Lower Trestles in Southern California.
“That is a really exciting thought, really, really cool,” he said.
“Even if it's not Lower Trestles, my home break, Huntington is a great spot, too. I love it here. So either way, I’m happy.
By the time that comes in, I'll probably be in the prime of my surfing career, so my chances will be really good. Bring it on!"